Bollard System

ABSTRACT

A bollard system according to the invention comprises a mounting device and a pole. The mounting device has a mounting body defining a pole receiving passageway and a mounting attachment device disposed on the mounting body. The pole has a pole attachment device disposed on an insertion end of the pole. The pole attachment device removably engages the mounting attachment device to secure the pole within the pole receiving passageway.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bollard system according to theinvention and, more particularly, to a bollard system according to theinvention having a removable pole.

BACKGROUND

Bollards known in the art are poles used to form a barrier in variousapplications including road closures and the protection of road-adjacentelements. Known bollards are typically permanently mounted on a surfaceby bolt fasteners or are set in concrete under the surface. Knownbollards are difficult to install, requiring pre-installation of anelement to attach to the fasteners or the labor-intensive concretesetting, and further, are not removable once installed.

SUMMARY

A bollard system according to the invention is provided and generallyincludes a mounting device and a pole. The mounting device has amounting body defining a pole receiving passageway and a mountingattachment device disposed on the mounting body. The pole has a poleattachment device disposed on an insertion end of the pole. The poleattachment device removably engages the mounting attachment device tosecure the pole within the pole receiving passageway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying figures, of which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bollard system according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the bollard system according to theinvention of FIG. 1 installed in a ground;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the bollard system according to theinvention of FIG. 1 installed in the ground with a pole of the bollardsystem according to the invention removed; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of another bollard systemaccording to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be describedhereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, whereinlike reference numerals refer to like elements. The present inventionmay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of thedisclosure to those skilled in the art.

An exemplary embodiment of a bollard system according to the inventionis shown in FIG. 1. The bollard system according to the inventiongenerally includes a pole 100 and a mounting device 200.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pole 100, as shown inFIG. 1, is a cylindrical member having a free end 110 and an oppositeinsertion end 120 along a longitudinal direction P of the pole 100. Thepole 100 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or maybe formed from a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadienestyrene (ABS). The pole 100 has a pole attachment device 130 disposed onthe insertion end 120. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the poleattachment device 130 is a pair of locking protrusions 132 disposedopposite one another on an outer surface of the pole 100. Each lockingprotrusion 132 protrudes from the outer surface of the pole 100 in adirection transverse to the longitudinal direction P of the pole 100.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mounting device 200, asshown in FIG. 1, has a mounting body 210, a mounting attachment device220, a flange 230, and a drill bit 240.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mounting body 210 is acylindrical member having a surface end 212 and an opposite embedded end214 along a longitudinal direction M of the mounting device 200. Themounting body 210 is hollow and defines a pole receiving passageway 216having a cylindrical profile in the embodiment shown. The mounting body210 may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or may beformed from a plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS)

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the mounting attachmentdevice 220 is disposed on the mounting body 210. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 1, the mounting attachment device 220 is a plurality ofprotrusion receiving passageways 222 extending through the mounting body210 and communicating with the pole receiving passageway 216. Theprotrusion receiving passageways 222 are positioned opposite one anotheron the mounting body 210 and each protrusion receiving passageway 222has an approximate L-shape, extending from the surface end 212 of themounting body 210 in the longitudinal direction M and turning in adirection transverse to the longitudinal direction M prior to reachingthe embedded end 214 of the mounting body 210.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the flange 230, as shown inFIG. 1, is disposed on the surface end 212 of the mounting body 210 andextends in the direction transverse to the longitudinal direction M. Inthe shown embodiment, the flange 230 is circular, however, one withordinary skill in the art would understand that the flange 230 mayalternatively be square, rectangular, or any other shape known to thosewith ordinary skill in the art. The flange 230 may be formed from ametal, such as aluminum or steel, or may be formed from a plasticmaterial, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). In anembodiment, the mounting body 210 and the flange 230 are monolithicallyformed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the drill bit 240, as shownin FIG. 1, is attached to the embedded end 214 of the mounting body 210and extends away from the embedded end 214 along the longitudinaldirection M. The drill bit 240 has a width WD equal to a width WB of anouter surface of the mounting body 210 in the direction transverse tothe longitudinal direction M. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thedrill bit 240 is a spade drill bit. In other embodiments, the drill bit240 may be an auger drill bit or any other type of drill bit known tothose with ordinary skill in the art. The drill bit 240 may be formedfrom a metal, such as aluminum or steel, or may be formed from a plasticmaterial, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). In anembodiment, the entirety of the mounting device 200, including themounting body 210, the mounting attachment device 220, the flange 230,and the drill bit are monolithically formed.

Installation of the bollard system according to the invention accordingof the invention will be described in greater detail with reference toFIGS. 1-3. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the bollardsystem according to the invention is installed in a ground 300 having aground surface 310. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the ground 300is formed of concrete material. In other embodiments, the ground 300 maybe formed of soil, sand, or any other ground material commonly known. Infurther embodiments, the ground surface 310 may comprise a materialdifferent from the ground 300, for example, asphalt or pavers.

A user places the drill bit 240 of the mounting device 200 on the groundsurface 310 with the longitudinal direction M aligned with an insertiondirection I and, using a tool or manually, turns the drill bit 240 alonga rotation direction R. The drill bit 240 displaces material of theground surface 310 and ground 300 when rotated along the rotationdirection R and moves along the insertion direction I, creating abollard passageway 320 in the ground 300 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Thedrill bit 240 is rotated and moved along the insertion direction Iuntil, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bottom surface of the flange 230abut the ground surface 310. The mounting device 200 is shown in a fullymounted position in the ground 300 in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pole 100 is theninserted into the mounting device 200. The pole 100 is moved along theinsertion direction I and the insertion end 120 of the pole 100 isintroduced into the pole receiving passageway 216 of the mounting device200. The pole attachment device 130 engages the mounting attachmentdevice 220 during insertion. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, thelocking protrusions 132 are inserted into the protrusion receivingpassageways 222 as the pole 100 moves along the insertion direction I.When the insertion end 120 of the pole 100 reaches the embedded end 214of the mounting body 210 in the pole receiving passageway 216, a userturns the pole 100 along the rotation direction R, positioning eachlocking protrusion 132 in a portion of one protrusion receivingpassageway 222 extending in the direction transverse to the longitudinaldirection M.

In the fully inserted position of the pole 100 in the mounting device200 shown in FIG. 2, to remove the pole 100, a user must first turn thepole 100 counter to the rotation direction R before moving the pole 100counter to the insertion direction I. The locking protrusions 132 andprotrusion receiving passageways 222 secure the pole 100 within themounting device 200 and ensure that the pole 100 is not accidentallyremoved from the mounting device 200. The bollard system according tothe invention is shown fully installed in the ground 300 in FIG. 2.

The bollard system according to the invention may be used in a varietyof barrier applications. In an embodiment, the bollard system accordingto the invention is used to create a roadblock for a temporary roadclosure; in this embodiment, the ground 300 is commonly concrete, thepole 100 and mounting device 200 are formed of a metal material, and thepole 100 and mounting body 210 have a larger diameter. In anotherembodiment, the bollard system according to the invention is used toprotect a curb or other road-adjacent element from, for example, a snowplow; in this embodiment, the ground 300 is commonly concrete, themounting device 200 is formed of a metal material, the pole 100 isformed of a plastic material, and the pole 100 and mounting body 210have a smaller diameter. In another embodiment, the bollard systemaccording to the invention is used to create a pedestrian barrier at,for example, an outdoor festival; in this embodiment, the ground 300 iscommonly soil, the pole 100 and mounting device 200 are formed of aplastic material, and the pole 100 and mounting body 210 have a smallestdiameter. In any embodiment, a plurality of bollard system according tothe inventions may be installed aligned to create an elongated barrier.One with ordinary skill in the art would understand that theseembodiments are merely exemplary and other combinations of materials andsizes of the pole 100 and mounting device 200 may be used.

Whenever the user does not require the barrier protection of the bollardsystem according to the invention, the user may remove the pole 100 fromthe mounting device 200. As described above, the pole attachment device130 is disengageable from the mounting attachment device 220; in theshown embodiment the user first turns the pole 100 counter to therotation direction R before moving the pole 100 counter to the insertiondirection I, moving the locking protrusions 132 along the protrusionreceiving passageways 222. The pole 100 is thus removed from themounting device 200, exposing the pole receiving passageway 216 as shownin FIG. 3.

In an embodiment of the invention, a plug 400, shown in FIG. 3, isinsertable along the insertion direction I into the pole receivingpassageway 216 of the fully mounted mounting device 200 when the pole100 is removed and not in use. The plug 400 is a cylindrical memberhaving a surface end 410 and an opposite embedded end 420 along alongitudinal direction G of the plug 400. The plug 400 may be formedfrom a metal, such as aluminum or steel, a plastic material, such asacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or a resilient material such asrubber. The plug 400 is sized to fit the pole receiving passageway 216and, when the plug 400 is inserted, the surface end 410 is flush withthe flange 230. The plug 400 thus creates a continuous, planar surfacewith the flange 230 along the ground surface 310 to avoid disruptingmovement over the ground surface 310 when the pole 100 is not inserted.The plug 400 is removable counter to the insertion direction I to permitthe pole 100 to be re-inserted.

A bollard system according to the invention according to anotherembodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The bollard systemaccording to the invention includes a pole 100′ and a mounting device200′. Like reference numbers indicate like elements and only thedifferences with respect to the pole 100 and mounting device 200 shownin FIGS. 1-3 will be described in detail herein. In further embodiments,the features of the bollard system according to the invention shown inFIG. 4 and described herein are freely interchangeable and combinablewith the features of the bollard system according to the invention shownin FIGS. 1-3.

In an embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 4, the pole attachmentdevice 130 is a pole thread 134 extending circumferentially around thepole 100. The pole thread 134 extends from the insertion end 120 alongpart of a length of the pole 100′ in the longitudinal direction P. Inthe mounting device 200′ shown in FIG. 4, the mounting attachment device220 is a mounting thread 224 extending circumferentially around aninterior surface of the mounting body 210 from the surface end 212 tothe embedded end 214 and facing the pole receiving passageway 216. Themounting device 200′ shown in FIG. 4 does not have a drill bit 240 andinstead has a flat surface on the embedded end 214 of the mounting body210.

The bollard system according to the invention shown in FIG. 4 is alsoinstallable in the ground 300. A user uses a commonly known, separatedrill tool (not shown) to independently create the bollard passageway320 prior to insertion of the mounting device 200′. The mounting device200′ is then inserted into the bollard passageway 320 until the flange230 abuts the ground surface 310. The pole 100′ is insertable into themounting device 200′ by moving the pole 100′ along the insertiondirection I and having the pole attachment device 130 engage themounting attachment device 220. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, thepole thread 134 engages the mounting thread 224 and the pole 100′ isrotated along the rotation direction R to move the pole 100′ along theinsertion direction I into the pole receiving passageway 216. The pole100′ is fully inserted in the pole receiving passageway 216 when theinsertion end 120 abuts the embedded end 214 and the pole thread 134 isengaged with the mounting thread 224. The pole 100′ is removable fromthe mounting device 200′ by rotating the pole 100′ counter to therotation direction R and disengaging the pole thread 134 from themounting thread 224. The plug 400 can be inserted into the mountingdevice 200′ similarly to the insertion of the plug 400 into the mountingdevice 200 described with reference to FIG. 3.

The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing theinvention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope andspirit of the invention. Therefore, more or less of the aforementionedcomponents can be used to conform to that particular purpose. It is,therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded asillustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the inventionis given by the appended claims together with their full range ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bollard system, comprising: a mounting devicehaving a mounting body defining a pole receiving passageway and amounting attachment device disposed on the mounting body; and a polehaving a pole attachment device disposed on an insertion end of thepole, the pole attachment device removably engaging the mountingattachment device to secure the pole within the pole receivingpassageway.
 2. The bollard system according to claim 1, wherein alongitudinal direction of the pole extends parallel to an insertiondirection of the pole into the pole receiving passageway.
 3. The bollardsystem according to claim 2, wherein a free end of the pole opposite theinsertion end of the pole protrudes from the mounting device along thelongitudinal direction of the pole when the pole is fully inserted intothe mounting device.
 4. The bollard system according to claim 1, whereinthe pole attachment device is a pair of locking protrusions disposedopposite one another on the pole.
 5. The bollard system according toclaim 4, wherein the mounting attachment device is a pair of protrusionreceiving passageways extending through the mounting body opposite oneanother and communicating with the pole receiving passageway.
 6. Thebollard system according to claim 5, wherein each protrusion receivingpassageway has an approximate L-shape, extending from a surface end ofthe mounting body in a longitudinal direction of the mounting body andturning in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of themounting body prior to reaching an embedded end of the mounting bodyopposite the surface end.
 7. The bollard system according to claim 5,wherein each locking protrusion is disposed in one protrusion receivingpassageway and the pole is secured to the mounting device by both alinear movement along an insertion direction and a rotational movementalong a rotation direction.
 8. The bollard system according to claim 1,wherein the pole attachment device is a pole thread extendingcircumferentially around the pole.
 9. The bollard system according toclaim 8, wherein the mounting attachment device is a mounting threadextending circumferentially around an interior surface of the mountingbody.
 10. The bollard system according to claim 1, the mounting devicehas a flange disposed on a surface end of the mounting body.
 11. Thebollard system according to claim 10, wherein the flange contacts aground surface of a ground.
 12. The bollard system according to claim11, wherein the mounting body is disposed in a bollard passagewayextending through the ground surface and into the ground.
 13. Thebollard system according to claim 12, wherein the mounting device has adrill bit attached to an embedded end of the mounting body opposite thesurface end of the mounting body.
 14. The bollard system according toclaim 13, wherein the drill bit provides the bollard passageway in theground.
 15. The bollard system according to claim 13, wherein themounting device is monolithically formed of a metal or plastic material.16. The bollard system according to claim 11, further comprising a plugremovably disposed in the pole receiving passageway when the pole is notinserted into the pole receiving passageway.
 17. The bollard systemaccording to claim 16, wherein the plug forms a continuous, planarsurface with the flange along the ground surface when the plug isdisposed in the pole receiving passageway.
 18. The bollard systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the pole is an elongated cylindricalmember formed of a metal or plastic material.